


Purple Hearts

by x_nano_x



Series: Fnaf Au! [2]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's, Little Witch Academia
Genre: (to my other fic), ..up for debate?, Akko needs therapy, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Diana needs to chill, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, I mean I wouldn't, I need so much therapy rn, I'm just reusing tags now, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Parallel Universes, Physical Abuse, Recovery, What-If, Yeah you're still gonna hate Croix (there's no reparation for her!!), do you want me to have a heart attack?, it's similar to the other one, maybe she doesn't.., obviously I'm not gonna follow fnaf lore (again), very one-sided charoix
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:33:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24290620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/x_nano_x/pseuds/x_nano_x
Summary: What if Amanda went with Akko, Sucy and Lotte instead?What if Diana was the nightguard?What if Croix didn't kill them - yeah okay lets not get ahead of ourselves hereFamily restaurants are places of joy and, in Akko's words, "No one can beat giant singing animals!" Prompting her, with a little help from the family friend Croix, to get a free party at her favourite restaurant with her favourite people! Little do they know of the evil lurking behind friendly eyes..Yeah you know where this is heading, more of my terrible writing part 2!(btw this will be updated until it catches up with Golden Hearts, then they'll be updated on a rota)
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Ursula Callistis | Chariot du Nord/Croix Meridies
Series: Fnaf Au! [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1754983
Comments: 32
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I gotta give credit where it's due, this idea came mostly from Samus2002 (and it was a pretty darn good one)  
> I just provide the mediocre writing  
> Enjoy!

Akko had practically dragged Sucy and Lotte through the automatic doors of the restaurant, ignoring the threats of poison in her food from Sucy. Lotte hadn't taken much convincing, it was Akko's birthday after all. After the three sauntered a taller girl, Amanda, with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her varsity jacket. It had been somewhat difficult on the brunette's part to sort out pricing for the meal they would be having, she had almost given up on the prospect when her adoptive mother, Chariot, suggest that her new girlfriend should pull some strings for the girl. Said girlfriend had greeted the small group on their way to the dining room, her short, purple hair dancing on her head as she walked. At the sight of her Akko had practically tackled the older woman to the floor, thanking her incessantly, letting go of the two girl she had held hostage in her pull. 

"Calm down Akko, you might give the old woman a heart attack." Amanda chuckled at her friend's antics, pulling her off of the employee before the hugging got worse.

Grunting, said woman rode to her feet, giving the red-head a faux glare, "Old? I'll have you know I'm 31 _O'Neill_."

This time, Akko almost had to hold Croix back as Amanda shot back an "Exactly" and riled the older woman up more. Laughing, Amanda wandered off to find a table, taking Sucy with her. Thus allowing Akko to let go of Croix, who recomposed herself and offered a bright smile for the birthday girl.

"Happy Birthday kiddo! Pizza is on the house for you lot.. though I've got half a mind to chuck that American out on the pavement..." Croix teased, chuckling at Akko's attempts to cover for her friend. Only to be shooed away by Croix with a reminder to "Have fun!" Akko grabbed a still recovering Lotte and dragged her over to Amanda and Sucy, who had acquired a table quite close to the Pirate's Cove. 

"Finally!" came Amanda with an exasperated sigh, "Can we actually order now princess?"

Akko shot a confused look at the American, "Princess? Do I look like Diana or her lackeys?" Sucy had opened her mouth to comment only to have Lotte cover her mouth with her hand and glare at her. Through their antics, a waiter had wandered to there table and stood there to take the group's orders. Amanda went with a classic pepperoni, Lotte ordered a margarita and Akko went with some kind of meat feast. Sucy however,

"I'll go with that pineapple and ham one.. Hawaiian?"

Amanda gagged, "Psychopath.."

Sucy grinned at the reaction as the waiter huffed in understanding and walked back toward the kitchen. Akko, ignoring Sucy and Amanda, had turned her attention to the performing animatronics. Her smile ever present as they sang some Fazbear jingle, her feet tapping to the rhythm of the song. Lotte smiled warmly at her friend and turned to her volume of Nightfall, hoping to ignore her other two idiot friends. 

After threatening to set fire to some kind of mushroom experiment, Amanda had gotten Sucy to sit down and "shut her trap" as the American so eloquently put it. Her full attention now on Akko, she could see why the girl wanted to open her own chain of restaurants, she had a love for performing. Amanda had caught the brunette a fair few times in the old music hall, singing and dancing to what sounded like original songs. Her dancing was often uncoordinated, in fact Amanda was planning to offer Akko some lessons from herself, maybe it would help her get closer to her dreams. Often, while she watched from her place at the stage doorway, she might see a flash of platinum blonde and mint green by the big doors at the back of the old hall. Amanda shook off her thoughts to find Sucy trying to give Akko a 'birthday gift'.

" _Sucy!_ You can't poison her on her birthday - no scratch that - you can't poison her _at all!_ " Lotte was desperately trying to get the crazy Filipino away from Akko, who watched with some concern for both of her friends' mental states. Amanda moved to intervene when a certain woman came between them.

"Whoa now kids! C'mon no fighting.. How about we have some fun while we wait for your food hey?"

"Wow Croix, old _and_ creepy"

"O'Neill I _swear_ -"

Akko jumped between Amanda and Croix before _they_ argued and made things weirder. Amanda was grinning like a fox while Croix was standing with her arms crossed with a bemused look on her face. With an awkward chuckle, Akko urged the guard to elucidate on what 'fun' meant. 

"Well, I heard there's a room with a secret character, and there's some kind of prize for the kids who find it.. I just so happen to know where it is, and the Birthday girl deserves to have a prize right?" Akko's eyes lit up a Croix's words. She suddenly saw why Chariot was so invested in the woman, originally she had thought it was the odd violet coloured hair. It went well with Chariot's odd red hair. Either way, she was now _very_ excited to be getting a prize on her birthday, so she urged the woman on with a "Lead the way!"

Lotte was always a cautious person, not one to jump into things without first thinking of the consequences. In some ways, she was the one that kept Akko grounded - which had probably saved the girl from trouble countless times. Croix was somewhat of an anomaly to her, the woman had been dating Akko's adoptive mother for around 4 months, they had met at the local library (although Akko never went into detail). To Lotte, the way this woman acted would have any outsider thinking that _she_ was Akko's mum, like she'd known the brunette her whole life. Lotte also caught on to Croix's eyes rather often, there was always an odd glint in them. Something that seemed dangerous. She could understand Akko's eagerness to trust Croix, after all the woman had been a constant in her life for the last four months, that didn't mean Lotte had to trust her too. It all seemed to perfect, and the Finnish girl knew that there was no such thing as perfect. For now though, she would follow her friends, and hope that it was all worth leaving their table behind. 

Croix led the teens down to the far end of the restaurant, where the wall wasn't covered in children's drawings like the rest of the establishment, but wires were visible and there was a loud buzzing sound from the generators in the backroom adjacent to the door they were being led to. The guard unlocked the dark green door and held it open for them to enter, Lotte found herself noting that the door seemed to be made of metal. By the way Croix slightly struggled to hold it open, she also deduced that it was rather heavy. Amanda was the first to wander in, grinning at Croix with a wink as she passed her. Akko was next, bounding in like an excited puppy, completely missing the look Croix sent her. Sucy waited, glancing at Lotte behind her and offering her hand to the girl.

"You coming Lotte?"

Lotte stared at her friend's hand, and mulled over the question for a moment. With a small smile she nodded and took Sucy's hand, both of them going inside - to Croix's relief, that door was too much. 

It was unnaturally dark inside, the light from the outside offering no support for their eyes. _Was this really where they were holding a competition?_ they all thought simultaneously. Akko was walking around like a disgruntled zombie, her hands out in front of her in case she walk into anything. Sucy couldn't help but laugh at Akko when Croix finally turned on the lights, followed by the click of a door locking. There were shelves of animatronic body parts on the walls, some hidden by wires hanging haphazardly from the ceiling. In the middle of the room stood a table, adorned with an assortment of tools and animatronic limbs. However, what drew eyes was the splatter of red in the corner behind the table. Red which led to a boy, around the same age as them, lying against the corner. His eyes were open, staring into the space around them, his mouth ajar, red leaking from it. A nasty patch of red decorated his top - it was a Fazbear uniform. The look of terror, forever etched onto his face. 

"Andrew?" Akko knew him, they would often interact during maths class, much to the disdain of two certain friends of Diana. She hadn't realised that he worked here, though they didn't really interact outside of class. She heard Lotte cry out from behind her, and turn to gag at the sight, Akko was just frozen. How do you react to seeing the body of a friend? Acquaintance? 

Sucy had her eyes trained on Croix, the woman's demeanor had completely flipped. She was standing by the door, shadow cast over her eyes, highlighting her smile. A smile that reminded her of snakes - she couldn't explain it, but she felt snakes would properly describe her. She found herself stepping back as Croix took a short step forward, gracefully acquiring a wrench from the wooden table. Upon hearing the footsteps, her three companions had turned to the woman as well. She was now chuckling lowly, tapping the wrench against her palm. A growl drew Sucy's eyes to Amanda, who wasn't happy with seeing Andrew like that, she wasn't happy about being tricked. The American looked all too ready to attack. 

"C-Croix?" came Akko's voice, dripping with fear. This woman had been behaving like a mother to her; helping her with homework, getting her out of trouble with Chariot, getting her free food at the restaurant... It didn't make sense, for her to flip the way that she has. Croix shot her a glare, smirk ever present on her face. 

"I really do like you, Akko. But you always seem to be the main object of Chariot's affection, how do you think that makes me feel?" Akko's eyes widened, _jealousy?_ She was doing this because she was jealous? Something about that gave Akko a burning feeling in her stomach. Apparently Amanda felt the same, as she shot in front of Akko, eyes burning like her stomach. The taller girl charged at Croix, fueled only by her anger, knocking the older woman off her feet. In turn, Croix brought the wrench to the American's temple, knocking her off. Lotte screamed at the sight, while Akko and Sucy stepped back in fear. Amanda had fallen to the floor, the side of her face pressing against the coldness of it. Desperately she tried to urge her body to move, however the shock of the blow had rendered her useless. The guard moved into a squatting position, bringing the wrench down on the red-head over and over. Out of fear, the rest of the group could only watch, having no gall to move. Once she was done with Amanda, Croix stood and stared at the remaining girls, blood covering her uniform. She singled out Lotte, opting to move to the weakest of the group. She backed the ginger up against the wall, ignoring the shouts streaming from Sucy. Wrench in hand, she ran it straight to Lotte's head, blood gushing from her nose and the blow to her face. 

"Hey, leave her alone!" Sucy wasn't one to shout, and she rarely spoke out of term. She favoured passive aggressiveness to actual aggressiveness. She and Lotte had known each other since their first year at the Appleton Academy. They met Akko when she transferred in their second year - she had just been adopted by Chariot, who pulled some strings to get into the prestigious high school. Even though she'd known Lotte for only a few years, watching her get beaten with that wrench awoke something. The girl had never been fowl to anyone, going so far as to help anyone who asked her. 

Croix looked at the owner of the shout, Sucy was glaring with her one visible eye, fists clenched as if ready to beat the woman. Grinning, she grabbed Lotte's head with her hands and pulled the girl to show to Sucy. Her glasses broken, chipped and half falling off of her head, she was barely able to look up at the girl in front of her. Sucy forgot her anger, staring back at the beaten girl. Croix gripped her head, twisting slowly until a sickening _crack_ resounded in the room. At the sound, Akko found her voice, running to the door and screaming for someone to help them. She had forgotten that there was generators close by, and that they were too loud to allow anyone outside the room to hear her. While Sucy had been frozen, watching as Lotte's body was unceremoniously dropped to the floor by the security guard. The display had knocked any fight Sucy had, pure shell-shock held her in its iron grip. 

Akko found herself looking towards an odd scream, one of pain but one that wasn't used to raising its voice - resulting in a broken screech. Croix had swiped a foxy hook from off of the table, putting it straight through Sucy's neck. The wrench met her jaw, completely dislocating it. Croix yanked the hook out of her neck, the odd angle of it ripping her neck open, the body slowly sliding down the wall next to Lotte. 

Akko brought her hands to her mouth, visibly trembling as Croix made her way slowly over to her. Sauntering as if she was walking through the park. A hand grabbed her head, roughly forcing it against the wall, Akko felt it crack from the impact. The hand was covering one of her eyes, with the free one she scanned over her friends, silently apologising to each one.

Croix smiled at the broken girl in her arms. Bringing the hook through the girl's temple twice. 

Akko felt her vision fail her, the last thing she heard before the darkness was,

"Happy Birthday kiddo!"

* * *

**5 Years Later**

Diana was always a successful student. It seemed to translate into daily life, getting a job should be child's play - if she wasn't looking for something. Five years ago, five of her peers went missing, notably one Akko Kagari. During their time at Appleton, the girl had always been a thorn in her side. Obnoxiously calling them rivals and coming up with stupid challenged (which the brunette always lost). Yet, oddly enough, Diana had felt the girl growing on her, the challenges becoming more and more enjoyable as time went on. About a month before Akko's birthday, she found herself crushing on the girl - hard - and had planned on confessing the Monday just after her Birthday. When news came of their disappearance she initially thought nothing of it, the Japanese girl was known for going on wild escapades with her friends and it _was_ her birthday. As the weeks and months went by, her concern increased, the girl she had fallen head over heels for was still nowhere to be found. Her friends too. Even as the years went on she wanted to believe that they were all alive, but her rational thought wouldn't allow it. Now she would give anything just to know what the hell happened to them. As far as she knew they were last seen at Freddy Fazbears, but other than that not much was known. When she enrolled at Luna Nova University, she made a point to extend her condolences to Chariot and her girlfriend, Croix, who had taken the disappearance the hardest. Chariot had politely declined them, telling the girl that there was nothing to mourn, since Akko was still out there somewhere -alive. It was Croix who remained at the door and accepted them, saying "it's been really hard on all of us, thank you so much.."

Hannah and Barbara had taken notice to their friend's growing interest in the case on the teens, her family's status making her somewhat privy to certain information. That privilege had grown as she grew older. However they both also noted how she had refused any and all the boys (and some girls) who had asked her out, many pouring their hearts out and receiving a cold rejection. Diana hadn't meant it, obviously, but there was no moving on until she found Akko. In all honestly it seemed like the heiress didn't want to move on regardless on whether she found Akko. 

The Cavendish's two dorm-mates had tried to take their friend's mind off of the case many times only to be admonished - even properly scolded when Diana was in a particularly bad mood. They both knew it may have had something to do with their constant teasing of Akko before she disappeared, the blonde had held some resentment towards them for that. So they decided to offer some help on her investigation, Diana had been juggling her medical studies with her interest with the restaurant, a result being that she was often too tired to actually make it to her class, opting to study from the comfort of the dorm. She would have Hannah take notes for her and the teachers send tests via email. Again her status allowed her special privileges at the school. 

Hannah had been drinking tea with her two friends when she noticed an ad in the paper, an ad for a position at the Fazbear restaurant. 

"There's an opening for Fazbears here, it might help you Diana."

Said girl rose an eyebrow, taking the paper from Hannah to see for herself, there was indeed an opening for a night position. It would allow her unrestricted access to the place, it was certainly an interesting offer. Glancing at the number, she took out her phone and called it, asking if the position was still available. Hannah watched on with hopeful eyes, while Barbara was peeking up from her Nightfall book. After an extensive amount of humming and nodding, the phone call was ended.

"I got the job"

After some arguing with her friends, Diana had agreed to let them accompany her to the restaurant, no one would be around and she supposed it wouldn't hurt to have some help looking around. A few days on, it was time for her to start. Before making her way, she had made sure that her uniform was on perfectly, even if no one was around it was always good to look the part. It was roughly a twenty minute walk from her dorm to the restaurant, so she woke up with plenty of time to spare -same goes for her companions.The restaurant had seen a decrease in business these days, with the suspicious disappearance of five teens and parents being more afraid to go to the place. The trio made their way to a room with two doors facing the two corridors to the dining area and stage, and made themselves comfortable inside. For about an hour, they sat and read through some material for the exam next week - while Barbara just read her book, she didn't do medicine like the other two. Once Diana felt comfortable she decided to take herself on a tour of the old restaurant, staring at the long rows of tables all made up for service the next day; adorned in with cloths and party hats and paper polka dot plates. She then rested her eyes on the animatronics on the main stage, Freddy was standing with a dead look on his face, well they all had dead looks they're robots, accompanied by Bonnie and Chica, while Foxy stood in his cove, and hadn't moved since the restaurant first opened. Looking at them she felt a tinge of regret that she had never really visited the place, not getting to know and love its characters. Right now they honestly looked rather creepy to her, lacking any charm. Her eyes shifted to a dor at the far end of the restaurant, sheer curiosity drew her to it. On her way down, she could've sworn she felt the mascots' eyes watching her every move - it gave her chills up and down her spine. She silently cursed poor lighting of the restaurant while fumbling for the correct key. 

Hannah and Barbara had joined her at the door (mostly out of fear of the restaurant), Diana finally got her hands on the right key and unlocked the door. The room was darker on the inside, even turning on the light didn't seem to do much. Grabbing a brick that sat near the entrance, she used it to keep the heavy door open. She then beckoned her slightly perturbed friends to join her inside. Barbara was the first to go in, while Hannah opted to hang by the doorway, occasionally stealing glances at the rest of the restaurant. _Were those robots always in that position?_

Rolling her eyes at the auburn-haired girl, Diana turned back to the room. It was deathly quiet - apart from the noise of the one generator that they kept on at nighttime. Barbara had taken to a lone golden suit at the back of the room, poking it and proclaiming it "soft!" The room itself had some faded red splotches everywhere, and while the Cavendish wasn't a detective, she could somewhat deduce what those stains were and they only fed into her concern. An _eek!_ from Hannah brought the blonde out of her thoughts, peering over at Hannah. Hannah, who was very much trembling and swearing that they were moving a little bit each time she looked away. Barbara scoffed and told her to calm herself and be quiet if she wasn't going to help - which was decidedly blunt of her - before turning her attention back to the golden suit. While Diana had chosen to investigate the stains on the wall a bit more. 

Hannah grew more and more weary of the robots outside, glancing at them more and more often, before she stumbled inside the room and sat by the wall with a thump. Earning her another glare from the other two girls. However there were creaks of movement from the outside, and a thump that moved Hannah to move the brick and let the door slam shut. 

"Hannah!" Diana admonished, finally having enough of her antics. All the girl in question could do was send an apologetic look back at her and sit in silence while the other two went back to what they were doing. 

After some fumbling with the suit, Barbara began to hear a faint sobbing coming from it. Her first thought being to check if there was someone inside the thing, but the room was locked during the day so it would be rather odd for someone to just be inside. The sobbing started to get louder, and while Barbara inspected the suit closely to see if it was a mechanism, Diana could only gasp behind her. 

There, sitting curled up beside the suit was Akko, wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Her knees pressed up against her chest and her hands, fists covering her face. The girl looked so broken and her occasional hiccups suggested that she had been crying for a good while. Barbara followed Diana's gaze, and stared confused as to how she got there, the door was even shut so she couldn't have sneaked in and the room wasn't that big. However Diana seemed to have forgotten rational though, and the space between her and the brunette was quickly closed. She moved to embrace the girl that had been missing for 5 years, only for her hands to go right through.

_What?_

Only then did the blonde notice the slight translucency in Akko, she could see the wall behind the girl's figure. At the revelation of finding Akko, Hannah shot up and made her way to her companions. 

"A-Akko?"

Akko paused at Diana's voice, finally realising that she had an audience, and shot up in surprise. Her legs straightened out and she lowered her hands, tears still streaming from her eyes. Only her eyes didn't focus on Diana's face, rather the colour of her uniform and she stared at it. 

Akko began to panic, _she was back_ , back to finish them - torment them some more. Her panic had awoken something outside, metallic stomps coming from outside, followed by bashing on the door. Hannah screamed while Barbara yelped in surprise, Diana however, was only interested in the brunettes panicking. _Can't she see it's me?_ She worriedly thought as she waved her hand in front of the girl's face. Figuring out the problem was her uniform jacket, she slowly took it off and threw it to the far end of the room, trying to call her again.

"Akko.." Diana couldn't quite stop her voice from breaking, the Akko she knew was annoyingly energetic and always had a smile on her face. This one looked shell-shocked, her eyes were missing the energetic shine and the tears didn't suit her. Finally, the girl recognised her, seeing her face for the first time and she managed to calm herself a little. 

"What - What happened to you?"

Akko only stared. The question throwing her off, _why was Diana even here?_ Bits and pieces of her birthday came back to her, a name on the tip of her tongue but one she couldn't quite reach.

"I - we.. It was my.. Birthday? A-and we had.. a party." Akko tried through half sobs, "A.. competition - this room - then..." She trailed off, more of the day coming together. Amanda being beaten to death, Lotte having her neck snapped, Sucy, the hook, _purple._ It was too much. Her words became incoherent as her tears came back tenfold. Akko could hear her friends, they were all hurting but she couldn't leave. She was stuck. _This was all her fault._ "S-she.. h-hurt them so - so bad. I-if I hadn't... t-they were.." The brunette tried but couldn't get her words right. In her turmoil, the wounds made on the day reflected on her form, the puncture wounds on the side of her head, the cut on the back, bruises on her arms.

Diana gasped sharply.

From Akko's words and what was visible, Diana managed to piece together what had happened to the girl and her friends. 

_Akko was dead._

It was the heiress' turn to let out a choked sob, she knew that this was possible but it seemed so _inhumane_. Hannah and Barbara couldn't contain their own horrified reactions to what they heard. They never really liked the girl but no-one deserves a fate like _this_. Barbara automatically moved to comfort Diana, but was pushed away when she tried.

"Why are you comforting me? _We're still alive._ " The blonde shot the words with a heavy bitterness. Like she would give anything to reverse the situation, to be the one that suffered so Akko could be safe. This girl that she had undoubtedly loved, suffered through what seemed to be a horrific death and she was helpless to save her from that - Akko was never even able to know how the blonde felt. However with her revelation came a new goal, _she would find out who did this and make them wish they were never born._ Akko had big dreams and her talent for singing was astounding, Diana had been mesmerised by it every time she heard it. She was going to try and convince Hannah to teach her to dance, just so she could reach those dreams quicker. _What use was that now?_ She thought bitterly.

Barbara recoiled and turned to Akko, suddenly feeling very bad about all the teasing she had subjected the girl to, even after she had first disappeared. In an effort to repent, she sat beside the suit, and held it's shoulder comfortingly. She had noticed the chain leading from Akko's neck to the suit, holding her like a dog. It made her feel a bit sick looking at it. Akko shot a look at Barbara, followed by a small smile in thanks, even in death she couldn't hold a grudge for no love, no money. Hannah sat next to Akko, mumbling a sorry under her breath, her head resting against the back of the wall.

Diana watched her friends extend their kindness, and chose to do the same. Give the brunette the comfort she didn't have when she died. Diana noted the reaction from Akko when Barbara had held the suit's shoulder. Now, she was in no way a hugger - touching was something she was rather uncomfortable with - however, now was a definite exception. Shuffling over to the suit, she slowly snuggled into it's lap, giving it a hug as best she could (given how big it was). She allowed herself a smile when she saw a light blush dust Akko's cheeks, followed by the girl wiping her tears away and looking back at Diana.

The brunette almost couldn't believe the warmth she was feeling, it had been so cold for so long she had almost gotten used to it. It was more surprising that the blonde she had annoyed almost every day was _distraught_ at finding her, even finding an indirect way to comfort her. She let the feeling of calm pulse through her as she relaxed against the wall where she sat, her eyes drifting shut for the first time in a long time. Before drifting off, she managed a small,

" _Thank you..._ "


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha so hi  
> I finally got this finished and I'm working on another chapter for the httyd au considering it was so well liked.  
> Golden hearts will be updated, but as I said i'd like for this to catch up with it first.  
> Also, because I like to work on multiple things at once (helps if I ever get block and stuff) please give me some ideas for au's or crossovers and stuff and I'll do my best not to butcher it (Key word being 'try'). As you might be able to tell (probably not, I'm totally inconspicuous), my head is a big mess - it's like having a bunch of caffeinated minions running around hitting each other with sticks in there - so having a small variety keeps me thoroughly occupied with thinking up ideas for chapters. Oh but try to keep ideas around Lwa cause it's kinda easier?  
> If i haven't scared you off with my rampant instability, please enjoy the chapter! (or don't idc :P)
> 
> (p.s: i do care please enjoy T-T)

The walk back to campus was a quiet one, Barbara's hushed whispers to Hannah being the only occasional noise. In front of them, Diana had her eyes glued to the ground, watching her steps. Should she be happy? She found Akko, after all this time. At the same time though, she didn't. 

What Diana found was a hollow girl - a dead one at that - no sparkle in her eyes and no smile on her face. Those bright red eyed seemed more brown in colour. _She looked so broken.._ The heiress hadn't notice her fists clenching until she felt the pain from her nails digging into her palm. Glancing out at the street, she noted that the streetlights were slowly flickering off as dawn cracked over the town's horizon. The morning rush hadn't started yet but the lights of flats all around were coming to life as the streetlights died. Peering at the empty road, Diana decided she needed to know what happened and make good on her vow to make them pay. 

When the trio finally got to their dorm, Hannah and Barbara immediately collapsed on their respective beds while Diana made herself comfortable at the desk. A big part of her wanted to take her mind off of earlier's events, but a louder part told her it was wrong. Akko had everything taken from her - same for her friends - and Diana had everything. 

Wait. Should she tell Chariot? That she found her daughter - dead in a fast food place.. Sighing, she rubbed her temples, exhaustion slowly catching up with her. Maybe Croix would be the more appropriate choice, she's more level headed, she was as close to Akko too and as distraught when she died. Though, she always seemed a little detached.

It would be a few hours until the morning classes started and Diana was planning on seeking out Croix anyway, so she wouldn't make it to her class. Hannah could share her notes anyway. Akko used to pester the heiress for notes all the time back in Appleton, the brunette had a certain talent for falling asleep in class. Obviously Diana would admonish her, 'begrudgingly' giving up her notes afterwards. She never could stop herself from smiling at Akko's enthusiastic gratitude - which never failed to catch her off guard. A small smiled graced Diana's face, eyes trailing to the class photo they had done on their first year of Appleton. Akko was standing between a slightly irritated Sucy and a timid looking Lotte. Akko had smiled wide for the camera - despite being told not to - and had managed to brighten the whole picture. All the other faces wore and expression of indifference, as was the point, clearly Akko wasn't having any of that. Diana's trailed to herself in the picture; perfect posture, neutral expression and uniform pristine. She frowned at that, she was so busy trying to impress her teachers and growing up that she forgot what it was like to be as carefree as Akko. With a sigh, she rested her head on the desk, eyes growing heavy with exhaustion.

The monotonous beep of an alarm shook Diana awake, glancing around she could see Hannah and Barbara getting ready for their first class. She managed to catch the eyes of Barbara, who made her way over to the blonde. She noted the look of concern flashing in the other girl's eyes, the night had hit them all hard. In those same eyes she caught an unspoken question.

_Are you okay?_

Diana lifted herself off her seat, offering a reassuring smile to the raven-haired girl, before getting ready herself. 

"I'm not going to be able to make it to classes today. Hannah, would you mind sharing your notes later?"

Hannah whipped her head around to meet Diana's gaze, with a shrug, she nodded, "Sure, but.. you're gonna have to attend at some point.." 

Without addressing Hannah's concerns, she merely thanked her. The two girls shared a glance before leaving the dorm for their respective classes, leaving Diana to her own devices. 

* * *

It took her a while to get to the teacher's dorms, she still was quite used to the layout of LNU. There hadn't been a lot of time to become familiar with the old university, Diana hadn't left her dorm much, to be fair. The teacher's corridor was newer than the student's, the university had seen a rise in popularity over the last few years, calling for the need of more teachers. Hence, new corridor. Each door had the names of teacher's engraved on it, it was expensive sure - and expensive to replace should the need arise - however the grow in popularity obviously came with a growth in funds. The university could afford to 'splash-out' as it were, albeit it's still rather foolish - at least to a certain Cavendish. 

Sapphire eyes scanned over the names on the doors as she made her way down the corridor, finally coming to Chariot Du Nord's door. Chariot, herself, should be teaching right now, or at least in one of the staff rooms. Which meant Croix should be alone in the room, as she wasn't a teacher and merely lived with the woman. With a polite knock, Diana waited for someone to answer the door. 

Teal eyes peaked out, followed by a head with lilac coloured hair. Croix peered down at the girl in front of the door, instant ramen in her hand. _Wasn't it morning?_

"Diana? Uhh, Chariot isn't here so- wait she doesn't teach you-"

"Actually, Miss Meridies, I was hoping to talk with you?" Diana didn't mean to cut the older woman off, she could only hope she hadn't offended the older woman. The woman in question gave a curious stare.

"What about?"

Diana gulped, how would she go about this? It wasn't like her to act so rashly. She did know, however, that this wasn't a conversation for the corridor. "May I come in? I feel the topic I'm here to discuss demands some tact." She tried, slipping into her usual professionalism. Croix raised an eyebrow.

"Sure?" She replied, opening the door fully and moving to let the younger girl in. To which Diana politely thanked her, slipping inside. From what Diana knew of Akko's mother, she was disorganised, so she wasn't expecting to see such a neat and tidy room. It was a simple room; a bed in the far corner near a window, table and chairs near the middle and a small sofa near the back. There were a few cupboards with a small counter with a microwave and sink in the corner opposite to the bed. No oven, but she knew the staff rooms had proper kitchens. Croix's chuckle broke her from her thoughts.

"Chariot's usually rather messy, _someone_ has to clean up after her" Diana smiled at the warmth which Croix talked about her girlfriend. At least Chariot wasn't alone, "So, Diana, what do you need?"

Where to start? She couldn't exactly tell Croix that she happened across the ghost of Akko, that sounds insane. Maybe a more subtle approach, "I just started a job at Freddy Fazbears," Croix paused, urging Diana to continue, "and I noticed something.. off.. with the animatronics there. You used to work there, so I was wondering if you could give me any insight as to why they are acting weird?"

Croix coughed, "Not sure actually, it's been a long time since I've worked there. Why - uh - why'd you take a job there?"

"I.. I have dedicated myself to finding out what happened to my peers five years ago. I'm sure you and Chariot would like some clarity on what happened?"

It took all Croix's willpower not to flinch, "Of course. Chariot misses her every day."

Diana hummed, about to continue when the door creaked open, revealing one Chariot Du Nord. Her red hair was dyed a more blue colour, she was also wearing glasses. On close inspection, Diana noted that she was also wearing a heavy amount of makeup. She doesn't remember ever seeing the older woman look like this, Chariot's maroon eyes flickered dimly as she regarded Diana. Shooting up and coughing, fixing her posture.

"Oh! Diana, what - _ehem_ \- what a surprise!" Chariot always gave a good performance, but Diana felt this one was lacking. Yet she decided to play along with Chariot's faux attitude.

"Sorry to intrude, professor, I just needed to consult Miss Meridies-"

"Please," Croix offered, "call me Croix." Diana grimaced at the lack of formality.

"- _Croix_ , about a job I've taken. I'm sorry for disturbing you Croix," She finished with a bow, quietly leaving the two older women.

Chariot turned to her girlfriend, confusion on her tired face. "What job?"

An innocent smile crept onto the lilac-haired woman, "Nothing for you to worry about, _darling_." 

With a flinch, Chariot nodded. She knew better than to challenge Croix when she spoke with finality. She wasn't part of the discussion, she was being nosey. Being nosey is rude. Croix doesn't like it when she's rude. Croix's smile widened a fraction when Chariot immediately backed down, striding over to the shorter woman, she wrapped her arms around Chariot's waist. Croix pulled her close and nuzzled her head into the crook of her neck.

" _Good girl._ "

* * *

Never has Diana seen Chariot in such a state, she didn't even look like herself. She knew Akko's disappearance hit the woman hard, but she didn't realise the effect of it had worsened over time like a disease. The girl pondered whether it was a good idea to ever tell Chariot of her revelation, she didn't want to be the cause of a suicide. Shaking her head, Diana hurried her pace to her dorm to catch up with her studies. Maybe tonight she could get some answers from Akko, something to work with. Well, at least Croix seemed to be in good spirits, Diana had a lot of respect for the woman. She managed to stay strong and steer Chariot through the hardest time of their lives, all while mourning Akko herself. 

Now Diana was going to do her bit, find out who it was that snuffed out Akko's light. 

That night it was decided that Hannah would stay behind and sleep, she didn't fare too well the first time and Diana wanted to be safe. Barbara seemed reluctant to leave her alone, but the auburn-haired girl insisted that she'd be fine. So Barbara and Diana walked side by side on the dimly lit street to the pizzeria. 

The duo couldn't help but feel unnerved upon entering, not being used to the eeriness of the empty establishment. Barbara bolted straight to the office, while Diana took her time and inspected the other animatronics. _Were the other four here too?_ She opted not to get too close to them. 

She didn't catch all the eyes on her. 

The scrape of metal drew the blonde's gaze to the Pirate Cove. Yellow eyes gleamed at her from the darkness inside. 

_Something brushed her back_

"Diana, watch out!" Diana whipped her head to meet Barbara, who was staring wide-eyed at whatever was behind her. She took a slow step forward, out of range of the three on stage. 

_Another scrape._

Eyes darting back to the cove. The body of the fox had dared to step foot out of its dwelling, eyes glued on Diana. Rather, on her uniform. A creak behind her told her that one of the three behind her moved. _What the hell?_

A crash. The fox darted out of its cove, charging straight for the heiress. Diana locked in place, her head screaming for her limbs to move. She braced as something flew at her. 

Barbara watched as the mechanical monstrosity charged at her friend, she screamed at Diana to move. Obviously she remained unheard. Barbara stopped thinking and closed the distance between herself and Diana, knocking the other girl off of her feet and out of the fox's path. 

Dazed and terrified, Diana dared to look up at what attacked her. She had never been more happy to see Barbara. Barbara who, in the blonde's haze, grabbed Diana by the hand and dragged her towards the parts room at the far end of the restaurant. Diana could vaguely hear the metallic stomps of the fox behind them.

"Jesus Christ, Diana!" Diana snapped her head to the call, "Your keys!" She mindlessly handed Barbara the keys from her pocket, turning back to stare at the fox lumbering towards them. She could faintly hear the frustrated grunts from Barbara, and the jingle of her keys. The majority of her attention was on the fox; it's big orange form and jagged exposed skeleton running full speed at them. Its jaw swinging left and right, hanging open as if waiting for its next meal. Another jolt. Diana was pulled into the parts room, door slamming behind her. She registered that she was shaking, and being shaken, and _being called?_

Barbara shook the absent girl, her eyes still elsewhere. Letting go of a breath as the girl in her arms slowly came to. It all happened so fast, Diana could've been killed. 

Clearly, that registered in Diana's mind too. Hot tears welled up in her eyes, the experience of near-death catching up to her faster than that fox had. She felt herself get pulled gently into an embrace by her companion, a warm hand stroking her head. Discomfort be damned, Diana was almost _killed_. 

A faint sobbing broke both girls out of their stupor. Diana was the first to glance at the golden suit. Surely enough, Akko was there, head buried in her hands and sobs pouring out of her mouth. Diana slowly wriggled out of Barbara's embrace, scooting over to the crying brunette, all while wriggling out of her uniform jacket. 

"Akko." She called for her, seeing the bright girl cry was breaking Diana. Thankfully, red met blue.

"You're.. back?" Akko hiccuped, looking at Diana with wonder in her eyes. The scraping against the door slowed. 

"Well, I _do_ work here," Diana chuckled, "it's kind of a requirement for me to be here - though maybe not in this room.."

Akko trembled, why would Diana work here? The others would tear her limb from limb. _Just like all the others._ It was Akko's own fault, she shouldn't have agreed with Amanda to hold her birthday at Freddy's. They wouldn't have suffered. She wanted to apologise, she would apologise. If she could leave. Being stuck in the room she died in leaves a lot of time to think, and relive what she went through. The woman in purple, a woman she knew. _Why was her name so far away?_

"Akko?" Red snapped up to meet blue again, Diana was staring, eyes softer than she'd ever seen them.

"Y-you need to leave." Akko managed, with the most bite she could muster. Diana didn't have to suffer with her, she could leave and not come back. If Akko's friends killed Diana, Akko wouldn't be able to take it. 

"What?"

"I-it's not safe! Just _leave!!_ " 

Diana was taken aback, seeing Akko's usual boisterousness peak out from the darkness she had fallen into left her with a feeling of nostalgia. The old Akko was still there, being protected by the one on the surface. The light in those red eyes reminding her that she was still _Akko_. But she wasn't going to leave her here, she wasn't going to give uo because Akko wanted her to. As her _rival,_ she simply couldn't.

"No."

"Wha- _What?"_

"I'm positive I was quite clear, Akko." Diana let her own arrogance peak out to join Akko, reminding the smaller girl of who she was. She saw frustration seep into Akko's gaze, a gaze which morphed into a glare. 

"Ugh, Diana! You can't always get your way! Just listen to me for once and _**get out-**_ " The brunette paused. Diana was crying, Akko only wanted her to leave. Not to break down in front of her- 

"There you are." A gentle smile found it's way onto the blonde's face. 

Confusion settled around the Japanese girl, "What?"

A sob rumbled in Diana's throat, "I missed you so, _so_ much. When I found you here yesterday, I thought the Akko I knew was gone. I-" She sobbed, "I thought all that was left was this.. husk of you. I- I guess it was nice to see the Akko I know is still in there - even in death.." 

Wait _what?_ Diana _missed_ Akko? The brunette stared ahead, unable to find words. She was almost certain that the heiress didn't like her, it wouldn't have been surprising, Akko was somewhat aware of how much of a pain she could be. Tears threaten to spill from her eyes again, only this time she couldn't place why. 

"It's true, Akko.. Diana spent the last five years trying to figure out what happened." Barbara piped in, not particularly wanting to get in the way of the other two. But it seemed Akko needed a little encouragement with Diana's words. The scratching on the door stopped. 

A darkness tugged at Akko's mind, reminding her that Diana would eventually leave. That she'd be left alone. But as the girl in question sat beside her, her hand phasing through Akko's on the floor, Akko decided to ignore it. Just for tonight. 

"I'll find out who did this, Akko. They won't get away with it."

Akko dimmed, staring ahead. "You promise?"

Diana stared at the girl next to her, shocked at the hesitant tone Akko used. _I won't disappoint you Akko.._

"I promise." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I feel like I'm rushing this a bit but uhh.. oh well..  
> Next chapter I might focus on Croix and Chariot a little more, I kinda wanna explore that a bit more y'know?  
> Now, if you excuse me, I'm going (to try not) to burn some pop tarts :P


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big warning for this chapter, it's significantly shorter because I found it very difficult to write.  
> DO NOT read this if you think it will upset you, it deals with abuse and sexual abuse, though I made sure not to be too explicit. This chapter is to give insight to the relationship of Croix and Chariot. You might have noticed I also updated the tags.  
> As this is short, I have already begun the fourth chapter, which should be out by tomorrow if all goes well.

One would think that the mother of a missing child would have stacks and stacks of research. Research such as news articles and potential suspects maybe? Chariot had none. She had begun of course and she never once doubted that Akko was alive somewhere, however Croix had taken notice. To keep her girlfriend from worrying and harming herself from the stress, she had taken over from Chariot. Any research into Akko was in Croix's hands and Chariot couldn't be more thankful to her girlfriend. 

Chariot always had hope, it was one of the traits that she couldn't ever hope to give up. Hope made her strong - Croix often reminded her of that. Amidst the mess of her daughter's disappearance, Croix became Chariot's constant; she became Chariot's confidant and their bond strengthened enormously.

In the years since Akko's disappearance, Chariot retreated into a new shell. Her room, which usually looked like the aftermath of a tornado, had become cleaner; she relied on her girlfriend more and was ever thankful for that. Being a natural performer, Chariot hated to upset people - especially Croix - and it always hurt her when she annoyed the lilac-haired woman. 

After Diana's visit, despite Croix's dislike for her nosiness, Chariot couldn't help but bring up the subject of Diana's job. Slight eagerness dripping into her posture, she had made sure to wait an hour before asking, noting that the other woman was merely reading some comic on the bed and was likely in a calm state.

"I told you, dear, it's nothing for you to worry about." Croix couldn't hide the slight bite in her tone, she did manage to mask her smirk at her girlfriend's flinch though. 

Chariot paused from marking papers, "I - I know. But I can't help but think it has something to do with Akko! Is.. is Diana looking for her?-"

Croix's features darkened, lifting herself up, she strode towards her companion. " _Now, now._ You know better than to stress yourself with worry, Char." Croix towered over the other woman now, her hand lightly caressing Chariot's cheek. The taller woman grinned as Chariot melted into the touch, giving into her words. 

"I'm sorry Croix.. But, what if we find her?" Croix's grin died again.

"Chariot.." She started sweetly, "Maybe it's time to consider the possibility that - well, maybe - Atsuko isn't going to come home. Maybe it's time to move on.." For a moment, Croix noted that her girlfriend was briefly considering the possibility, until anger seeped into her features. 

"No.. - No! No Croix! She isn't dead!- she's lost.. Who are you to decide when I give up on my own daughter!"

_Slap_

Chariot gulped, red spreading over her cheek. Croix didn't like rudeness. Croix didn't like it when she spoke out of term. In an attempt to save herself, she began to sputter an apology - only for Croix to grab the woman by her hair and slam her against a wall. There was no light in Croix's eyes now, only cold teal, cutting into Chariot like a honed blade. 

Blue-ish hair fell over her face, her mouth twitched with millions of unspoken apologies, while Croix simply stared. No one moved for a good thirty seconds, thirty seconds which felt like three hours. Croix's hand suddenly made it's way to Chariot's - now red - cheek, stroking it gently. Chariot remained frozen, staring at the hand as it stroked her, like prey caught by predator. 

"I- I'm sorry Croi-"

" _No._ You don't get to use my name right now." Croix directed, with a rough tug of her girlfriend's hair.

Something clicked in Chariot, her own maroon orbs dulling to look more like brown. "I'm sorry, Miss Meridies." She couldn't even feel the tearing pain of Croix pulling her hair, nor the fear that the other woman had just instilled in her. She merely stood, head pulled against the wall by her hair, eyes trained on her girlfriend. 

Croix licked her lips, she loved to push Chariot a little, forcing her into this state of mind. The look on numbness that broke it's way into her lover's eyes, signifying that Croix had total control. To Chariot, Croix was her world more in this state than ever. Croix was utterly drunk from the look on Chariot's face. She was so attached to Akko, even in her disappearance. Chariot didn't need Akko though, Chariot would only need Croix. The taller woman scowled at the thought of the brunette, the obstacle between her and her prize, even now. The way Chariot so freely gave her unfiltered love to the girl, while Croix was second best. She _hated_ second best, now she was going to take what's hers. 

Croix dragged her lover to the bathroom, still gripping her hair, and pulled out some makeup wipes. She wanted to see the marks she left on her perfect skin, the marks that show that Chariot is _hers_. As the makeup came off, blues and purples made themselves visible, decorating her face like a horrific piece of art. Chariot herself hadn't moved, simply staring ahead, allowing Croix to expose her wounds. 

"Beautiful.." Croix cooed, causing slight adoration to flicker over her lover's eyes. Chariot was only thinking about Croix, only listening to her and the lilac-haired woman _loved_ it. Chariot held no protest when Croix, using her hair as some kind of lead, dragged her to their bed and shoved her on it. Croix wanted to see _all_ her marks, all the ways in which Chariot was _hers._

Not Akko's, not anybody else's. Chariot belonged to Croix. 

Chariot didn't stop her lover from taking her clothes, she didn't stop the finger that traced over every single bruise; every single cut and hickey. She merely whimpered softly as those hands admired her body like art. She merely whimpered when those hands added to the piece, new blues and reds appearing on Chariot's pale skin. Adoration remaining constant in those maroon eyes, glistening a brown in their own dullness. 

Croix's smile grew as she decorated her canvas, her sick methods giving her lover's pale body colour. Colour only given by Croix, art made only by Croix. Hands exploring areas and crevasses that _only_ Croix could access, creating the music that was Chariot's whimpers and moans. Art followed by music, Croix thought herself the artist and the conductor of the canvas and orchestra that was _her_ Chariot. The control was intoxicating.

Meanwhile Chariot could only think of Croix, her name filling her head. Her head, which was empty of every other thought, Akko was pushed back; her memories of the girl pushed back to make room for Croix. She couldn't help it when this happened. When Croix got angry, when Croix hurt her, when Croix _wanted_ her. She knew just how to hurt Chariot to make her disassociate with the situation, to make her a doll. The red-head knew she hated it; deep, deep down she knew it was wrong. Yet, she could never access those feelings, Croix herself was intoxicating. For every time she brought pain, pleasure followed in its wake. That pleasure came like a labyrinth, once lost, it was far too difficult to find a way out. Chariot wandered that labyrinth of pleasure, unable to make out her own thoughts, getting more lost the more Croix drugged her with that pleasure.

As Croix finished her piece for today, she slowly asked a question with a voice laced in lust, "What are you, my dear?"

Chariot could make out the hand stroking her hair, mixed with the ebbing pain of the bruises. "I am yours, Miss Meridies." The lack of Croix's name seemed to come natural, the smaller woman hadn't even been thinking. However, it seemed that her answer fully satisfied her lover; as the pain doubled, graciously mixing with an abrupt pleasure from below. The musician had started her song, Chariot was just the instrument. 

She didn't quite know how long she was wandering in the labyrinth of pain and pleasure, how long Croix played Chariot. She doesn't even know how the song sounded. Chariot was only aware of Croix holding her tightly, her claws digging possessively into her sides. She noted that Croix's clothes were disheveled, but remained on her, while she had nothing. Her clothes were haphazardly thrown, she couldn't tell where. Blue hair mingled with short lilac hair, one set of eyes closed while the other set could only stare up. 

With a soft huff, Croix uttered, "I love you, _my Chariot."_

Deep down, Chariot knew it was wrong. She knew that her heart had been chained by Croix, her mind enslaved by the woman. Yet, even as she knew, she couldn't stop herself. 

"I love you too."


	4. A/N (sorry, kill me later lol)

Hey,

When I started this I enjoyed making it - same with Golden Hearts. However, with this fic in particular, I'm just not feeling it at the moment you know?

Now, that doesn't mean I'm abandoning it. Golden Hearts will continue, It'll take me a little while to work on the next chapter, that one is coming steadily closer to its finale. However, I've attempted to write chapter 4 of this about 10 times - each time something happens to it. From parts not being there, to the whole file corrupting - and it's just getting to a point where I've written the same chapter so many times, I don't want to write it again. I'm really sorry if you enjoyed this over Golden Hearts, but as of now, I won't be attempting to continue it. 

Again, that's not to say that I won't come back to it. This is just a notice of Hiatus I guess - until further notice (that being, when I decide to work on chapter 4 again). I'm honestly really sorry about this, I just can't keep rewriting this - not when I've got other stuff I'm writing, and I just started college. 

I guess you could check out my other stuff: In Which Finnelan's up to No Good, The Families You Choose, Beautiful, Flowers, Purple, Akko the Brave, Confession and of course Golden Hearts. I hope one day I can come back to this, ready to finish it and in the right mindset to do it - but for now, I won't be updating this again. 

I will be updating my other works (soon hopefully) and maybe starting some new ones? Not sure, if anyone has any ideas for stuff to write feel free to comment or contact me through discord - tumblr hates me. Discord: ExplicitParasite#3875

Anyway, Happy late Halloween, hope you're doing okay (with all the shit going on) and have a good day/night!

**Author's Note:**

> I tried part 2
> 
> The two fics won't cross over so if you don't like this, just watch out for the other!  
> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
